Assessment of phenotypic diversity within Goliath chickens population in Benin.

Goliath chickens are a new strain of poultry that originated in the department of Zou, commune of Agbangnizoun in the Republic of Benin. The characteristics of this chicken strain have not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to characterize the phenotypic diversity of Goliath chickens in departments of Zou and Couffo. A total of 140 birds made up of 92 females and 48 males were sampled using 18 morphological descriptors. The results showed a wide variation in plumage colour within overall population with the most dominant being black (18.57%), white (17.14%) and red (16.43%). Black (21.74%) and white (20.65%) plumage dominated in females and red in males (35.42%). Coloured beaks and shanks were common in both chicken sexes. Yellow eyes were more common in females (63.04%), while red eyes were the most prevalent in males (43.75%). Comb and wattle colours were red in both sexes. Morphometrically, sexual dimorphism is very marked most of the body measurements with male birds being significantly superior. The average body weight was 3.26 kg in males and 2.78 kg in females. The population was clustered in three morphotypes according to the gradient size. Chickens from Bohicon and Agbangnizoun on the one hand, and those from Zagnanado and Toviklin on the other, formed groups 1 and 2, respectively, while group 3 included individuals from Djidja. 77.96% of observed diversity was due to variation between individuals. Molecular characterization is recommended for a thorough knowledge of the Goliath chicken strain of Benin.

Assessment of the reproductive performances of native sows in Southern Benin.

Native sows contribute to a large extent to food security and poverty alleviation in Benin. However, their reproductive performance particularly under extensive systems is poorly characterized. The objective of this study was to fill this knowledge gap by selecting 284 multiparous sows based on hair color and some reproductive parameters. The results showed that native sows of Southern Benin can be clustered into three groups with group 3 showing the best reproductive performances including highest average litter size (LS, 10.31 piglets), live-born piglets (LBP, 10.31 piglets), number of functional teats (10.94), and shorter average farrowing interval (6 mo). The analysis of sows' performances based on their origin revealed that sows from agro-ecological zone 8 have the highest number of LBP and the lowest age at first mating and first farrowing. The analysis of sows' performances based on the hair color showed that those with black hair have the largest LS and the highest number of LBP. This study showed that Benin's native sows have good reproductive ability with enough variation to develop a sustainable pig industry for a better contribution to food security and wealth creation.

West African Cattle Farmers' Perception of Tick-Borne Diseases.

Worldwide, cattle production is struggling to face the negative impacts caused by ticks and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is one of the most harmful ticks for livestock. Most of the people in West Africa depend on cattle farming and subsistence agriculture. The presence of ticks on cattle is a major problem faced by smallholder farmers who fight for their livelihood. National and regional tick control programs could assist these rural communities in protecting their livelihoods against ticks and tick-borne diseases, but only if they take into account the targeted herders and their perception on cattle management and tick control. This paper aims to provide a better insight in the socio-economic characteristics of Beninese cattle farmers, and their perception on tick burden, as well as to document common tick control strategies. Different tick species and their seasonality are well understood by cattle herders. For tick control, many still use manual tick removal, especially in the north of the country. The high cost of acaricides, the lack of financial means of African farmers, and of the local stockbreeders in particular, limits the use of acaricides in livestock breeding in Benin. While aiming to increase the meat or milk production of their animals, stockbreeders who can afford it sometimes turn to an abusive use of acaricides, which might in time lead to an increase in tick resistance. This study remains one of the rare studies to report extensively on the perceptions of West African cattle herders.